…it’s only natural to be mortified by your parents’ actions… it’s part of the plan- the plan that will get you to leave the nest at some point. Except that you are locked in a world where no one actually ages… what hell… OK if you are perpetually in your mid thirties, but what if you are forever twelve years old? Ick. Awkward. Voice cracking. Confused.
And I will say it one more time… What’s with the mane of silver hair on Mara? She’s of course drawn to be fetching, but the gray mop continues to be confusing, at least to me…
The Daily Trail 
Coloring aside, I’m convinced Mara is a some kind of fantasist – a mid-thirties woman impersonating a teen. I know it’s pretty tough to pull off a representation of a youth or a child realistically (think of all the bad oil paintings at your local art gallery where the babes and kids look like fat middle-agers on tiny bodies). But I defy anyone to look at panel three in isolation and guess an age under 35.
And you are right about poor Rusty’s predicament. I feel for the lad, even when not being kidnapped and held hostage by one villain or another. .
Clearly, in comparison with the girl’s photo-shoot-quality makeup in place and her more sophisticated dialog, Rusty comes across as a bigger-than-ever hayseed. He might as well stick a wheat stalk in his mouth and wear bib overalls.